His Mechanic
by Bookwrm389
Summary: Ed makes a mistake. A big one. And now a major aspect of his relationship with Winry is in jeopardy. Strongly-hinted EdWin.


_A.N. This is me taking a break from the multi-chapter stuff. I stayed up late on a night I shouldn't have to finish it because the idea gave me a good laugh. Hints of EdWin up ahead. Haters and Mary-Sues, feel free to take your leave._

His Mechanic

"I told you not to do it."

"Shut up."

"I knew something like this would happen."

"Could've warned me…"

"If we had just come back here in the first place--"

"I _get_ it, Al!"

Mercifully, Al finally fell silent. Ed's younger brother had kept this lecture up all the way from Central, straight through the eight-hour train ride to Risembool. By now, Ed was only grudgingly grateful for the few minutes of peace he would get before they arrived at the Rockbell home…

…and his funeral. Gulp.

Ed cast a baleful look at his automail arm, which beneath the red sleeve was busted up so badly that he had to hold it against his shoulder or risk breaking the last few wires and bits of metal attaching it there. Needless to say, it was useless and would continue to be so until he could get it fixed by his mechanic.

"I'm sure if you ask her politely, she won't hurt you _that_ badly," Al reassured him.

Ed swallowed dryly, letting his walk slow to a mere crawl. "You don't get it, Al," he whispered and in his paranoia his eyes darted around the countryside in search of eavesdroppers. "It's not just the arm. She's going to take one look at me and know _exactly_ what I did…"

"She won't find out if you quit acting so guilty!" Al hissed, though his scolding tone was tempered by real anxiety. Ed's knees went weak at the thought of Al--solid, dependable _Alphonse_--balking at what lay ahead.

Den's bark alerted them both that they had arrived at their destination. Ed felt himself growing paler every second and distantly began to wonder who would write his obituary since Al would likely be joining him in the grave very, _very_ soon. Better not be Mustang, he would probably write something about the tragedy of being murdered before he could properly grow into his title, the bastard…

Al approached the door while Ed hung back in the hope any flying wrenches would be blocked by the armor. His nerves earned a small reprieve when it was Granny Pinako who answered the door.

"H-Hello," Al mumbled timidly.

Pinako, an astute woman under any circumstances, narrowed her eyes at his tone. Her accusing gaze immediately settled on Ed and the way he was gripping his automail. Ed quivered under her inspection. _She knows! Oh God, I KNEW she could read minds and Al didn't believe me--!_

"What's got you two so worked up?" Pinako asked, puzzled. "I know Winry has a temper to match the pipsqueak's, but she's used to you ruining your arm."

Ed risked a glance in Pinako's direction. _She doesn't know? Huh, I thought for sure…did she call me SHORT?!_

"Ok, what happened?!" Pinako said sharply. "Ed never hesitates to rant about being a midget unless something else is on his mind. _What did you do?!_"

"Nothing!" Al cried and nudged Ed forward. "Ed just needs his arm fixed, that's all!"

Ed plastered a winning smile on his face. "Y-Yeah, that's right! Just a check-up! Or repair job, or whatever…"

Al poked him in warning and Ed snapped his mouth shut. Say as little as possible, he reminded himself sternly. That way, there was less chance of something slipping out that he didn't want a certain machine-junkie to hear about.

Pinako scrutinized them for a moment longer then nodded over her shoulder. "Winry's in the workshop downstairs. You can head on down."

Ed nearly sagged to the floor in relief as he slipped past his first obstacle with Al right on his heels. Once he reached the workshop door, however, his foreboding returned full-force. The door was cracked open and Ed warily prodded it open all the way so he could peek inside.

"She's not here!" Ed said quickly. "Now's our chance, little brother! Run for it!"

Al caught him mid-sprint and held his struggling brother securely. "You're not going anywhere until you get your arm fixed!"

"I can live with it like this! I'll learn how to clap one-handed!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Brother! Just try to calm down!"

"How do you expect me to calm down when I'm about to _DIE?!_"

"What's going on here?"

Ed froze, his heart jumping to his throat. Al turned to face Winry with Ed still hanging from his arms. Winry eyed the two of them curiously and the fact that she didn't seem to be carrying her wrench gave Ed the faint hope that he could escape from this with a mere coma.

Al slowly set Ed back on his feet. Ed sucked in a nervous breath, shifting so that his automail was facing away from Winry's searching gaze.

"H-Hey, Winry!" Ed said weakly, his voice higher than natural even for someone of his height. "How've you been? W-We just came for a visit and um…is that a new haircut? Have I told you how much I _love _your hair?"

"I gotta go!"

Ed turned just in time to see Al's form fleeing around the corner. "_Al, you traitor!_"

"You broke your arm again, didn't you!" Winry snapped angrily.

Ed winced. "It's not _that_ broken! Really!"

Unfortunately, his automail chose at that moment to break right off his shoulder and crash to the ground. There was a moment of silence broken only by Winry's whimper of sadness. Ed scooped up his arm and held it out hopefully. "Could you fix it for me? Please?"

Ed held his breath as Winry's eyes flicked back and forth between the arm and him.

"Fine, but only because you were actually nice about asking me!" Winry said reproachfully. She took the automail and brought it into the workshop with Ed trailing behind. Ed's throat ran dry as he took a seat nearby, watching her lay his automail on the table and begin to examine it. So far, so good.

Winry shook her head at the damage and pulled out her toolbox. "Honestly, Ed, you were just here! What did you do to put your arm in this state?"

"Uh, you know, the usual," Ed said evasively. "Getting in fights, transmuting it too much, that kind of--ow!"

The wrench was still as hard as ever. Ed rubbed his head and cowered under Winry's disapproving scowl. He breathed a sigh of relief when she turned back to the automail and started removing the plating for her repairs.

"How many times have I told you not to transmute it?!" Winry said crossly. "It's not one of your little circles that you can mess around with! You need to treat it with respect! You've been doing all the maintenance, right? I'll go over that with you again once…"

Winry's voice petered out, her eyes going wide at something in the mass of wires under her tools. Ed felt his heart stop. Oh, no. She couldn't know just from _looking_, could she?! Sure, Winry was a genius, but not _that_ much of a genius! She couldn't know, she _couldn't_…

"Edward," Winry said in a low voice, "have you been seeing _another mechanic?_"

Oh. Shit.

For some odd reason, Ed was having a very hard time breathing. Winry straightened up and slowly--_very_ slowly--turned toward him with such a look of betrayal that Ed had to resist the urge to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness. He had to _say_ something! Something clever and articulate that would convey just how horrible he felt, how stupid he'd been to trust _anyone_ else with his automail, how happy he would be if Winry would just find it in her heart to forgive him…

"It only happened once!" Ed blurted out.

This time, the wrench caught him in the face hard enough to send him flying from his seat. Ed's remaining hand shot up to cradle his stinging nose, which was bleeding rather heavily.

"How _could_ you?"

The distressed whisper made Ed's heart clench. His worst fears were realized when he looked up and saw tears streaming down Winry's cheeks.

"I'm _sorry!_" Ed said hastily, wiping the blood from his face. "I know I never should have done it! But something came loose in the shoulder and Mustang wouldn't give me leave to come back here for something so small and…and…I'm really sorry, I never should have seen her…"

"_Her?!_" Winry screeched. "I can't _believe_ you, Ed! Going to see some _half-rate_ in Central just because it's more _convenient_…"

"I _wanted_ to come see you, Winry!" Ed said desperately. "I really did!"

"Not enough to actually _do_ it!" Winry snapped back hurtfully. "I suppose that's why your arm is broken, right?! She wasn't good enough and once it broke thanks to _her_ bad maintenance you came crawling back hoping I could put the pieces together!"

Ed hung his head, finding it hard to admit that yes, that was _exactly_ what had happened. Without another word, Winry crossed her arms and turned her back on him in a silent command to leave her alone. Ed watched her miserably. There was no way Winry was going to help him now no matter how much he apologized. He would have to wait until she calmed down before asking her to fix him up. Ed retrieved his automail and slung it over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Ed murmured, heading for the door. He was halfway there when Winry's voice stopped him.

"So…what was she like?"

_It's a trap, don't answer that! _Ed's instincts screamed in warning. He shot a cautious look in his mechanic's direction. Winry refused to look at him, but Ed took it as a good sign that she wasn't crying anymore. Still, her words had sounded more like a challenge than actual curiosity.

"She's not as good as you," Ed assured her promptly. He had a feeling that was what Winry was most worried about, but had his doubts when she cast him a venomous glare.

"But still good enough for a one-time fix, right?" Winry muttered bitterly.

"No way!" Ed said honestly. "I hated every second I spent there! In fact, I spent the whole time wishing I was here with you. You _know_ I would have come here first if Mustang wasn't such an ass."

Winry seemed slightly mollified by this, but her rage was by no means diminished. "You didn't even bother to consider my feelings, Edward! That's _my_ automail! You made a commitment to me the second you agreed to use it! If you're going to go around letting any random girl take it apart then…maybe you really _should_ look for another mechanic."

"Win, don't be like that, _please!_" Ed begged, beginning to panic. "I _need_ you! No one else treats my automail like you do!"

"Why should I forgive you for this?" Winry shot back.

Ed recoiled at those words and it hit him that she was absolutely serious. His insides went cold at the thought of losing his childhood friend as his mechanic. Winry was brilliant when it came to his automail and a familiar presence for the rest of him, literally his crutch during the bad times. And during the good times…a sweet reminder of what kind of life awaited him at the end of his and Al's journey. The very idea of losing all that because of one single moment of weakness made his heart want to shrivel up and die in his chest.

"Get out."

Ed blinked at the abrupt words. "What?"

Winry avoided his gaze. "Get out. Don't come back."

Even though they were right next to each other, Ed felt like they were drifting a thousand miles apart. There was a rift between them now, one that he couldn't figure out how to cross. But Ed couldn't make himself walk out yet. This was his very last chance and he would be damned before he wasted that.

"Winry…please, fix my automail for me," Ed whispered.

A pained look crossed Winry's face. "Edward…"

"_Please_," Ed said, hoping he wasn't pushing it. "I…I know I made a stupid decision, but you can't ask me to walk out of here just like that!"

Ed took a risk and stepped closer. He let his automail balance on his shoulder so he could reach out and seize Winry's shoulder.

"You can punish me however you want," Ed said stubbornly. "You can leave me armless, make me use a wooden leg for a couple months, a couple years. You can beat me with that damn wrench until I'm black and blue. Hit me, yell at me, strangle me if you want. But don't tell me that I can never call you my mechanic again. That's the one punishment I can't take."

He was getting to her. At least she wasn't looking at him like she hated him. Winry's eyes slid over to the automail balanced on his shoulder and she picked it up, cradling it tenderly.

"You make our relationship sound so violent, talking like that," Winry said softly, ruefully.

Ed let the corners of his mouth quirk up, aware he was treading on thin ice. "Well, you _did_ almost break my nose earlier…"

Winry looked up startled and Ed could only assume she was taking in whatever blood was left on his face. Sometimes, she really didn't know her own strength.

"Well," Winry said slowly, "if you promise to make it up to me, _maybe_ I'll consider forgiving you."

It wasn't much, but it was better than being told to leave and never come back. Ed breathed a sigh of relief as Winry--_his_ mechanic, he thought proudly--brought his automail back to the workbench.

"It was only the arm, right?" Winry asked suddenly. "You didn't let her get at the leg, did you?"

Ed held up his hand honorably. "My pants stayed on the whole time," he said solemnly

Winry nodded, apparently satisfied. "Ok. In that case…we may be able to fix this."

* * *

Out in the yard, Al paced around worriedly. He really _should_ go check on Ed, he thought guiltily. He'd heard arguing voices in the workshop for the first five or ten minutes then two hours of silence. Maybe Winry had beaten Ed unconscious?

Al stopped his pacing and steeled himself to go inside. However bad Winry felt, the very least he could do was speak up on Ed's behalf. With any luck, she would forgive Ed eventually. It hadn't been entirely his fault, after all.

Still, Al's resolve began to fade the closer he got to the workshop. He halted just outside and listened through the door warily. Nothing. Were they even in there? Al pushed the door open slowly and peeked inside. "Winry? I know you must be mad, but…"

The rest of the statement died before it could be spoken. Al stared at the scene before him, stunned. He had expected arguing, tense silences and tears, but instead…

…they were both asleep on the couch.

Al slipped inside the workshop wondering if it was some kind of trap. The two in question remained oblivious to his flabbergasted scrutiny and for once completely calm despite their close proximity to each other. Ed had fallen asleep with his head leaning against the armrest, his automail arm flung over it awkwardly. The arm seemed to be repaired, complete with a brand new joint for his shoulder. An alchemy book served as Ed's pillow, the pages sticking to his cheek. Winry was stretched out beside Ed with her head resting on his automail knee. A toolbox lay at her feet and one limp hand still held a screwdriver.

_What on earth did Ed DO?_ Al wondered in amazement. A closer inspection revealed that Ed hadn't gotten off too lightly if the bump on his head and flecks of blood on his cheek were anything to go by. Al considered them thoughtfully, wondering if he should wake them, but decided it was kinder to just leave them as they were.

Still, that book didn't look too comfortable. Al started to slide the book from under Ed's cheek, fighting the urge to giggle as Ed groped after it weakly.

"Brother, you'll get a stiff neck sleeping like this," Al chided quietly.

"'M not done," Ed mumbled, still deeply asleep.

Al deftly slipped a pillow in the book's place. "Here, read this."

"Mm-kay." Ed wrapped an arm around the pillow and snuggled into it.

Al moved on to the sleeping mechanic, picking up Ed's red coat to drape over her shoulders. He started to take the screwdriver, but Winry jerked her hand away, curling around it protectively. "'S a loose screw, damn it…"

"Um, sure it is," Al murmured absently. He tiptoed over to the door as quietly as he could, pausing only once to glance back at the pair with an oddly content feeling inside.

He made it a point to be there an hour later when Ed woke up first. Al couldn't help but be amused at Ed's indignant splutter when he realized why his lap had fallen asleep and laughed outright when his brother fixed him with a death glare that was normally reserved for Mustang and those who mentioned his height.

"And you didn't wake me up, why?" Ed asked crossly, his cheeks a flaming red.

"Sorry, Brother," Al said, still chortling. "You two just looked so _cozy _together."

Ed didn't speak to Al for the rest of the day.


End file.
